New Girl
by liblouella81
Summary: Brennan's new at school and just her luck, Booth gets volunteered to help her out first thing. She, of course, pushes him away, but will she ever warm up to him? Will he have the persistence to keep at it? BB, M for future chapters!
1. Shut the Hell Up

**Hey everybody :) This little scene popped into my head while I was waiting for my next appointment to show up today. I mean, what else am I gonna do at the clinic other than think of Brennan and Booth, right? ;) **

**Anyways, this is just a trial run. Let me know if yall want me to continue :) I really have some awesome things planned out if you want it bad enough ;)**

**Speaking of wanting bad enough, Booth started to develop a little case of the hotts for Brennan on her first day of being at a new school. How does she respond? Will Booth ever be able to break her walls down? Hmmm...**

**Don't own them...oooh, if only if only...**

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><p>Cringing as the first bell of the school year echoed through the hallway, Temperance Brennan wrapped her arms around her books and pushed through the herds of people. Looking for "318" on the front of a door, any door, she flinched as a tall guy almost ran into her. "Ugh," she groaned, continuing her search for her senior level English class.<p>

She was a junior, but due to her previous test scores, her new school decided she would "fit better in the more advanced class." Finally finding the right classroom, she hoped, Temperance very quietly walked to the back of the class and sat in a desk. Within seconds, another bell had rang and her teacher shut the door.

"_Let the torture begin,_" she thought to herself. English was her most hated subject. And as the teacher began to talk, Temperance quickly realized that first period was probably going to be the hardest class, simply because of the fact that she had to stay awake the whole time.

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><p>Jumping in her seat, the second period bell had scared Temperance. She shook her head and climbed out of the desk, glancing down at her schedule before walking to her next class. History in room 102. She groaned to herself, crumpled the paper back into her pocket, and left the room.<p>

"_105…104…" _she counted to herself and she apparently walked down the hall in reverse order. By the time she hit room 103, someone crashed into her, knocking her back as her binders fell out of her arms. "Fucking hell," she snapped, not even acknowledging the person who hit her.

"Hey, sorry," someone mumbled, continuing to go about their business.

"Excuse me, young lady," Temperance heard as she stood back upright. She ignored it. "EXCUSE ME," the lady yelled this time.

Looking up, Temperance raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" she asked, her tone thick with mockery.

"We don't use that language here. Take this," she handed Temperance a piece of paper, "And march yourself right on to the office to see Principal Morris."

"Are…you…serious?" Temperance asked, not believing this was happening.

Putting a hand on her hip, the lady pointed a finger down the hall. "Go," she instructed.

Letting out an extremely noticeable groan, Temperance turned around and headed back to the front office. As she arrived, she plopped down into one of the chairs, crossing one leg over the other. "Um, can I help you, sweetheart?" the lady behind the desk asked with a strange look.

"Who I can only assume to be an incompetent so-called _teacher_ down the hallway informed me that due to my language, I had to return to the front office in order to see Principal Morris," Temperance coldly told the lady.

Stepping into the main office, a man stopped in his office doorway. "And you must be Miss Temperance Brennan," he said, with a smirk across his face. She looked over at him with her eyebrows raised, as if she was asking "So what?"

"Come in here, Miss Brennan," he told her, extending an arm as he guided her into his office. She followed and sat in one of the small chairs across from his large desk. "And to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, sitting down in a leather desk chair.

"Like I told the secretary. A teacher told me to come in here because my language apparently isn't the kind that we use here," she told him as she crossed her arms.

While trying to hide a grin, the principal nodded. "Well, seeing as how it's only an hour into the first day of school, how about we just agree that you'll try to keep the vulgarities to a minimum, huh?" he asked. She nodded in agreement with an eye-roll and stood up. "What's your next class, Miss Brennan?" he asked, catching her before she opened the door.

She pulled her schedule back out as he walked back towards the door. "History with…really? He's a coach?" she asked, more to herself than to the principal. She shook her head. "With Coach Scott."

"Ah," he opened the door, holding it open for her. Looking out, he saw a familiar face. "Mr. Booth," he called as a young guy was about to leave the office.

"Sir?" he asked, turning around. His eyes looked up and down Temperance as a grin spread across his face. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her blue eyes looked cold as steal.

"Where are you headed?" Temperance wondered if this had anything to do with her, because at that moment, it didn't seem like it.

"History with Coach Scott," the guy replied, his backpack gently hanging on one of his shoulders.

"Oh, good," Principal Morris said as he ushered Temperance towards the guy. "Miss Brennan, Mr. Booth here will walk with you to history."

"No problem," Booth replied as another grin played on his lips. Holding the door open for the girl, his eyes widened as she didn't look at or say a word to him. A few steps out of the door, he finally broke the silence. "Brennan, huh? What's your first name?"

Temperance gripped onto her binders tighter as she clenched her jaw. She didn't have time or the patients for this idiot jock to be chatting her up.

"Oh, come on," Booth encouraged. "It won't kill you to make a new friend, would it?"

"Just shut the hell up," she smarted back at him as she stared down the hallway.

Turning his head to cock an eyebrow at her, Booth chuckled. "Feisty, eh? Ya know, I like that in a girl," he nudged her with his elbow.

She stopped suddenly and looked up at him, her blue eyes piercing his brown ones. "Touch me again and I'll kick your ass," she warned with her jaws still clenched. Booth's eyes widened as he realized she had resumed walking.

"You know I'm not scared of you, right?" he asked, not allowing himself to give up.

"I don't give a shit," she replied honestly, shifting her backpack on her shoulders as she opened the door to the history class.

Booth chuckled to himself as he entered the classroom, pulling the door shut behind him. He knew there wasn't a chance in hell that he was going to give up. He also knew he was actually going to have to work at getting this girl to open up.


	2. Dont I Get a Hug?

****Yay for getting time to update! These chapters are significantly shorter than my other fics' chapters, but I think they're just fitting better that way for now. Hopefully, they'll get a bit longer in the future. **

**Well, Booth keeps on keeping on and Brennan possibly shows a sign of weakness. Review, please! :) **

**Don't own them :( ****

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><p>Lunch time came around and Temperance found her way to the cafeteria. She had a history of getting low blood sugar when she didn't eat, so she knew the smart thing to do would be to get a tray of food. Grimacing as she began to guess what exactly was on the tray, she sat down at a table in the back of the cafeteria.<p>

Pulling a book out of her bag, she proceeded to poke at the, what she assumed to be, spaghetti on her plate. Shuddering, she flipped her book to the page that was dog-eared and sank back into the comfort of her book. She didn't have many steady things in her life, but books were on the list.

Before she could get too far into the book, a tray was slammed down into the table she was sitting at. Looking up nonchalantly with raised eyebrows, she cocked one of them and rolled her eyes. "You're at our table," a guy spoke. She noticed the familiar guy from earlier that morning approaching the mob of football players that were gawking at her.

Shaking her head, Temperance looked back down at her book. "There are 600 other tables here, jerkwad. Find another one."

"I don't think you get it…this is _our_ table. We've been sitting here for three years," the guy was obviously not as intimidating as he had hoped.

"Well, see, I've been sitting here for three minutes and I still don't care," she spoke clearly.

"Guys, just find another table," she heard the guy from that morning say.

"Oh, come on, Booth! This is our table, and the whole school knows it!" the front guy nearly whined.

With a raised eyebrow, Booth didn't have to say another word. The other guys all picked up their trays and moved a couple tables over, glaring over their shoulders at their seemingly-traitorous leader. Booth quietly put his tray down and sat in a chair across from Temperance. "You aren't scared of much, are you?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Nope," she answered shortly, flipping to the next page of her book.

"Did you just move here?" _Well, duh, Seeley,_ he thought. He knew everybody in the school except her. That was the worst question to ask.

"I really don't see how that is relevant to anything," she quipped.

With a smirk, he shook his head. "Well, we've been in three of the same classes so far. You could at least tell me your name."

As her blue eyes ran across the table, up his chest, and locked onto his eyes, Temperance's look was still cold. "If I wanted you to know my name, I would have already told you. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to read my book."

Nodding with a small grin across his face, Booth stood up and lifted his tray off the table. _God, I want her,_ he thought. He wasn't used to girls standing up to him and turning him down.

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><p>After the last bell rang, Temperance walked out to her foster-father's SUV that she drove to school, pulling her dark sunglasses over her eyes. Reaching for her keys, she noticed someone standing by the driver's side door. <em>You've got to be kidding me,<em> she thought and groaned to herself. "Hello, Temperance," Booth spoke.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her tone thick with sarcasm. She unlocked the doors of the SUV and put her backpack into the backseat.

"I figured out your name," he said, sounding like he had defeated a major task.

She cocked her eyes up towards him under her sunglasses. She was significantly shorter than he was, but that didn't intimidate her. The intimidating factor of the moment was the fact that he was so damn persistent. "And how long did that take you, Detective Watson?"

Booth's buff body was blocking her from opening the driver's side door. Temperance crossed her arms in front of her chest and popped a leg out to the side. Smirking, Booth asked, "Aren't you even the least bit curious as to what my name is?"

"Nope," she replied without hesitation and pushed him out of the way. She climbed into the SUV, locked the doors, and started the engine. He stood back as she backed out and left the parking space.

Running a hand through his own hair, he sighed. "This is going to be harder than I thought," he spoke to nobody.

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><p>The next day was rainy and humid. Temperance's hair was frizzing, her make-up was running, and her clothes were soaked. But, thank God, before she knew it, the school day was over. Walking yet again out to her foster-father's vehicle, she glanced up and noticed Booth by the SUV. Again. "Go. Away." She spoke sternly.<p>

Smiling, he pushed a hand into his pocket as his other held an umbrella over himself. "Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?" he asked.

Temperance's eyes fluttered in disbelief. Her tactics hadn't worked. "Um…excuse me?" she asked, wanting to make sure she heard him correctly.

"Would you like to go to dinner with me?" he repeated, taking a small step towards her, placing the umbrella over her head, too.

"Which part of leave me alone and go away do you not get?" she slammed the back door after she had dropped her backpack inside.

Smirking, he quipped, "Which part of "I'm going to ask you every time I see you until you say yes" do you not understand?" He had stepped his game up. He knew he wasn't going to get her by just rolling over.

"Look," she huffed, "I don't want to date, I don't want a boyfriend, I don't want a friend with benefits."

"Let's go as friends, then," he said, seeming to have solved the problem in his eyes.

Raising an eyebrow, she shook her head. "We're friends? Since when?"

"Oh, come on, Tempe. What could it hurt?" Wait…did he just call her _Tempe_? Wait again…she _liked_ it? It wasn't that she couldn't stand Booth…it was a fact that in a couple of months, she would be shipped off to another foster home and would be pulled away from whatever relationships she had made. This reaction was just her defense mechanism.

"If I say yes, I'm agreeing to _one_ dinner. Nothing more." Temperance chewed the inside of her cheek.

With a shit-eating grin spreading across his face, Booth tried not to scream in happiness. "So is that a yes?" he asked, wanting to double check.

"Yeah," she agreed quietly.

With the smirk still on his face, he tried not to jump for joy. "Great. I'll pick you up around 6…is that okay?"

Her eyes narrowed. "How do you know where I live?"

"Well…my grandpa is sort of well-known by the cops around her. I had him do me a favor."

"I'm sure that's illegal somehow, but sure. See you at six," she confirmed, trying to get him out of her way without having to touch him.

"Don't I get a hug?" he asked. Temperance was just about at the end of her rope.

"Unless you want my foot up somewhere that it would take a doctor to remove it, I suggest you get out of my way, you arrogant son of a bitch." Booth's eyes grew wide as he stepped to the side. Watching her drive off, he let out a fist-pumping motion. He had succeeded in step one.


	3. Handle With Care

****This chapter is a bit longer...yaaay! :) Brennan's walls are falling slowly but surely. The next question is how much will she be willing to open up about and discuss with Booth...hmmm...**

**Oh...I LOVED all the reviews! OMG! They make me super happy and make me smile :) Keep it up!  
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**Yet again, I don't own them. **

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><p>Climbing the steps to her temporary home, Temperance let out a sigh before she reached for the door. She knew what waited for her inside was anything but what she really wanted to be waiting on her. She turned the doorknob and gently pushed it open, taking a step inside. She softly dropped her backpack by the door in hopes of not drawing any attention to herself. "Temperance? Is that you?" her foster-mother called from the kitchen.<p>

_Crap_, she thought. "Yes, Maggie, it's me." She took a few steps and propped herself in the doorway to the kitchen.

"How was school, sweetie?" the thin woman was sitting at the table with a magazine and a glass filled with a golden-colored liquid, a smoke halo circling her head.

Taking a deep breath, Temperance attempted to smile. "It was good. Hey, uh, can I go out with a friend for a little while this evening?" she asked with a nervous pulse in her stomach.

Looking up from her "Learn These New Sex Moves!" article, Maggie's green eyes widened as her lips curved upwards. "Does Miss Temperance have a date?" she teased.

"I'm just going to dinner with a…_friend_…" A shiver ran up Temperance's spine.

"Well, who am I to stand in the way of young love…" Maggie hummed, her ruby lips meeting the edge of her glass again. Temperance rolled her eyes as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Of course you can go, sweetie!"

"He won't be here until six, so I think I'm going to lay down for a bit," she told her foster-mom. "Can you make sure I'm up by five?"

"Mhmm," Maggie nodded, returning to her magazine.

Temperance left the kitchen, climbing the stairs up to her bedroom. At the time, she was the only kid in the house, so she had her own bedroom. Shutting the door behind her, she climbed into her bed, shoes still on her feet. She aimlessly reached out, feeling around for a particular texture that was oh-so-familiar. "Ah ha," she whispered, grabbing onto her target.

She pulled the stuffed bear to her chest and curled herself around it. As she laid there, all of the past two days ran through her head, particularly the memories with _him _in them. A tear silently slid down her ivory cheek and landed on the stuffed animal. "I don't want to be hurt again, Rupert," she whispered, her lips brushing against the soft brown material.

And with that being said, Temperance's eyes finally fluttered shut. Her fingers traced along the bear's arm and back as she dozed off.

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><p>Rolling over in her bed, Temperance opened her eyes. Darting them across the room, she finally found the clock on her wall. Five-thirty-seven. <em>Shit, shit, shit<em>! she thought, almost literally jumping out of the bed. "Man! Why didn't she get me up?" she huffed, immediately running to her closet.

She didn't have many nice things to wear, so the choice should've been fairly simple, but for some reason she was having problems picking an outfit. Moving clothes left to right and right to left, the screeching of the hangers against the bars never fazed her.

"Temperance?" Maggie called out, lightly rapping on the door before pushing it open.

"Yeah?" Temperance nearly snapped, still racking her brain for which shirt would work best for her that night.

"I'm sorry I didn't get you up, honey! I completely lost track of time!" Maggie took a few steps across the room and sat down on the corner of Temperance's bed.

_Tequila will do that to you_, Temperance thought, eventually pulling three shirts out of the closet. "Which one?" she asked hastily, holding two up with her hands and one up with her mouth.

"Hmm…" Maggie thought, taking a drag on her cigarette. Temperance hated the smoke smell that always encompassed her room, but she didn't feel she was in any place to be demanding things. "How about the dark blue one? It'll bring out your amazing eyes," she told her foster-daughter.

Thinking over the decision for a slight moment, Temperance threw the other two shirts onto the closet floor, pulled her current button-up shirt off, and stood in front of her dresser in the tank top she had on underneath. She pulled on the dark blue shirt, buttoning all the buttons, and adjusted it on herself. She gave herself a once-over in the mirror and began to tease and pull at her hair.

"Let me help," Maggie insisted, walking towards the teenage girl. She began to twirl strands of hair gently, pushing and pulling until they were where she wanted them. Temperance occasionally flinched as her hair was pulled, but she decided just to let Maggie have at it. After she was finished, Maggie lightly sprayed Temperance's hair with hairspray.

Temperance looked into the mirror and saw the soft curls that gently framed her face. Her auburn hair was naturally wavy, but she could never seem to get it to look decent on her own. Reaching for her mascara, she dropped her jaw to apply it. After a couple of delicate layers, she placed the tube of mascara back on the dresser.

She glanced over herself, tugging at her shirt and taking a deep breath as she looked up at her own face. She bit her lips and exhaled as Maggie squeezed her hands on Temperance's shoulders. "You're beautiful, honey." About that time, the doorbell rang throughout the old house. "Ah, he must be here!" she sang out, darting out of the girl's bedroom.

Quickly applying a coat of chapstick on her lips, she pushed the tube down into her jeans pocket, grabbed her jacket and purse, and left the room. Nervously, she wobbled down the stairs. She felt the butterflies in her stomach, swarming up to her chest. Her blue eyes eventually traced up his body and to his own chocolate colored eyes. She saw a smile creep on his face as he continued small-talk with Maggie. "Ah, here she is," Maggie noticed out-loud.

"Hi," he greeted her as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

Nervously tucking a curl behind her ear, she quickly fake-smiled and reached for the doorknob. "Bye, Maggie," she spoke softly as she was already in the middle of their front porch.

"Bye, you guys!" Maggie smiled as the young man followed her foster-daughter to his SUV. "Be home by midnight!"

Taking a few quick steps, Booth reached out and opened the passenger side door for Temperance. With a cocked eyebrow, she stopped a couple steps before she reached the vehicle. Typically, she hated it when people tried to do things for her, but she had decided to try and be "normal" for one night. She had seen plenty of movies, read plenty of books. She knew that this was a customary action for Friday nights between two young people who were going out for dinner.

She climbed up into the SUV and placed her purse in her lap. Once he had rejoined her, he shut his door and looked over at her with a grin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the smirk on his face. "What?" she asked pointedly as she pulled her seatbelt across her torso.

"You, uh…you look really pretty," he stuttered, starting the vehicle. Temperance felt her cheeks become flushed as he began to drive. After riding a couple of miles in silence, she finally broke the silence. "Mind telling me where you're dragging me?" She honestly didn't mean for her question to come out as badly-sounding as it did.

Booth let out a soft chuckle as his jaw tightened. "Is going out with me really that torturous for you?" She was silent. "I'll take that as a yes," he sighed.

"No…no…" she corrected her previous silence. "It's just…it's complicated," she stuttered, taking a deep breath.

"I've got time," he rebutted, glancing over at her fidgeting with her purse.

Looking over at him with weak eyes, she sighed. "Do we have to talk about this right now?" she asked, not wanting to let him in on all the deep dark secrets of Temperance Brennan just yet.

"No, of course not," he replied.

_Maybe he's not as pushy as he has seemed_, she thought, focusing her eyes on the road ahead of them.

"Do you like Chinese food?" he asked, reaching for the radio button.

Temperance nodded. "Yeah, it's my favorite," she admitted.

"Well, I'm taking you to a great Chinese place downtown. The owner has known my grandpa for years. It's the best food in the city." A smile slipped across her face without her realizing it. Booth, however, noticed it out of the corner of his eye. "You really are very pretty," he reassured her, glancing between her and the road.

Biting her bottom lip, she felt the butterflies getting heavier. "Thanks," she spoke softly. Compliments were definitely something she had never gotten used to.

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><p>Once he had killed the engine, Booth unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the SUV. He walked to Temperance's side and opened her door before she had a chance. "I should probably tell you," he warned her, "This place is a little different than most restaurants."<p>

"What do you mean?" she asked, jumping slightly as she felt his hand grace the small of her back as she walked into the building.

"You'll see," he told her, looking around to see if his usual booth was open. He ushered Temperance to the back corner and allowed her to slide into the seat before he did.

"Seeley! My man!" a guy greeted them as Booth got settled next to his date.

"Sid! How's it going, man?" Booth chit-chatted as Temperance flipped open a menu that was laying on the table.

"Two entrees?" Sid asked. Booth nodded, adjusting his silverware beside the small plate in front of him. "And what to drink?"

"Water, please," Temperance ordered.

"Water, too," Booth agreed with a slight grin.

Sid chuckled and tucked his pen behind his ear. "Your food will be out shortly," he assured them as he walked away.

"Um, we didn't order," Temperance objected, her eyes pinched together.

Chuckling, Booth nodded. "That's what's different about this place. Sid just _knows_ what you want to eat. It's amazing. Just wait and see."

"I'm a vegetarian, Booth. I assume that most people that come here are not vegetarians, and that could be a problem for my food."

"Just wait and see," Booth assured her with a smile. "Sid is amazing."

Temperance folded her napkin and placed it across her lap, laying her hands on top of it. "So your name is Seeley?" she asked, not meaning any sort of judgment at all.

"Don't remind me," Booth huffed.

"I like it," she admitted timidly, looking down at her hands. Curls fell in her face as her cheeks became flushed again.

"I like Temperance, too," he spoke softly.

"Ugh," she groaned. "I don't."

Booth chuckled. "Well, maybe we can find something else to call you. And you can just stick to calling me Booth."

"Deal," she agreed, looking him in the eyes for the first time that since they left the house. He saw hope in her, and uncertainty. He knew that by how she was acting, she had major trust issues with anything that had a pulse and that he was going to have to try harder than ever to win her over. However, he was okay with that. Being a Booth, he liked a challenge.

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><p>After what seemed like only a couple of minutes, Sid brought a tray full of food to their table. "Your usual," he handed Booth his plate. "And for you, young lady, some vegetarian lo mein." He slid her plate to her with a smile as he saw her eyes widen. "Oh, and vegetarian eggrolls on the house," he added, placing a basket full of steaming eggrolls between them.<p>

"Thanks, man," Booth replied with a smile. Sid left their table as Booth looked over at Temperance.

"This is amazing," she spoke softly, elegantly using chopsticks to twirl her noodles around her plate.

"What's amazing is that you know how to use those things," he pointed with the end of his fork.

Temperance's eyebrows pinched together. "It's really not that complicated," she informed him, bring another mouthful of noodles to her lips. She carefully blew on them to cool them off before she took another bite.

"Whatever you say," he chuckled.

Putting her chopsticks down, she picked up the other pair. She took his fork out of his hand, put it on the table, and placed her hand on the outside of his. Carefully placing his fingers where they needed to be, she smiled at him. "Now, just move this stick this way, and the other stick that way," she demonstrated with her hand still on his.

Booth smiled back, his hand on fire where her skin had touched his. He shook his head out of the daze he was in and carefully picked up a couple of noodles off his plate. After successfully putting the food in his mouth, he grinned again. "You learn something new every day, I guess."

After eating their entrees, Sid brought out a couple of fortune cookies. "These are actually homemade," Booth told her as he offered her first pick. "Sid has someone write out fortunes and they bake their own cookies." Nodding with a smile, Temperance seemed impressed. She picked the cookie closest to her and cracked it open over her empty plate. Booth did the same with his cookie. "What's yours say?" he asked.

"It's right in front of you, all you have to do is let go," she read out loud. The message instantly had a meaning to her, but she preferred to keep that to herself. "What about yours?"

"Handle with care, if not, you'll lose it forever," he read with a confused look. "I never understand these things," he told her with a chuckle.

She smiled and placed her napkin from her lap back onto the table. "They're all just made up," she stated as they both climbed out of their Booth.

With a smile, Booth guided her out of the restaurant door. "Ready for the next part of the night?" he asked, his hand gently landing on the small of her back again.

"What? I thought this was just dinner?" she asked, confused.

He stopped and gently pulled on her wrist to stop her from walking. She turned around and looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "If you can honestly tell me right now that you don't want to do anything else and you want to go home, I'll take you back home," he told her. Her silence answered his question. "That's what I thought," he replied with a cocky tone and a grin.

Temperance rolled her eyes. _I walked right into that one_, she thought. "So what's next, then?"

"It's a surprise," he told her with a grin, opening the SUV door for her yet again. "You're all into nature and science-y stuff, right?" he asked before he shut her door.

"Yeah, I guess," she responded, her eyebrows pinched together as she bit the inside of her cheek.

"Good," he replied with another grin on his face before he shut her door. He had never been one for the glitz and glam of hanging out at fancy places. But then again, he never really had the money to do such things. He was glad she was proving to be as simple as he was.


	4. Pink Tutu and a Football Helmet

****So, the chapters just keep coming! It's amazing what you can do when you actually have enough free time to sit down and just write! **

**Let's see...this chapter is the secret place Booth takes Brennan. While at this place, they both open up a little more, particularly Brennan. She begins to show just a teeny tiny glimmer of hope :) However, she has to go home to an unhappy person when the night is abruptly cut short. Hmm. I wonder what exactly will happen...  
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**Don't own them.****

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><p>"How long does it take to get to this place?" Temperance asked after they had been in Booth's SUV for a good thirty minutes.<p>

"Just one more minute," he assured her, pulling onto a small road.

Rolling her eyes, she shifted her weight in the seat. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse for a split second to check for any missed calls from her foster-parents. Nothing. A smile slipped across her face as she pushed the phone back into her purse. "We're here," he informed her, killing the SUV engine.

Looking out the windows, she saw nothing but pitch black darkness. "Um…where is "here"?" she asked, confused.

"Just trust me," he smirked, getting out of the vehicle.

_That could be a problem_, she thought as she climbed out of the SUV. She saw him grab something out of the backseat as she met him on the driver's side. "You're not taking me out here to kill me, are you?" she asked, her voice soft.

Booth let out a chuckle as he shut the back door. "Do you really think I'm the killing type?" Temperance bit her bottom lip as he reached out a hand towards her. "Just so you don't get lost or fall in a hole," he assured her.

Placing her delicate hand in his much larger one, she suddenly had a sense of security. Booth felt her hand relax after a couple of steps into the darkness. Walking for a couple of minutes with no sounds except that of sticks and leaves moving under their feet, the couple finally reached their destination.

Temperance looked around as they took a step out of the thick forest , noticing the river in front of them sparkling in the full moon's light. "Wow…" she whispered, looking around. Booth grinned as he guided her to a flat spot closer to the river. "This is beautiful," she stated, looking down as he let go of her hand.

Laying out a blanket, Booth smiled as he pulled at the final corner and let it drop to the ground. "Have a seat," he stretched out a hand towards the blanket, somewhat guiding her.

With an innocent smile, her blue eyes found his in the semi-darkness as she sat down. Wanting to respect her boundaries, he decided it'd be best to sit a couple of spaces away. "How did you find this place?" she asked, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"My grandpa showed it to me a couple of years ago. I come out here to clear my head occasionally." Booth leaned back against his hands as his long legs stretched out in front of him.

"Thank you for bringing me out here," she told him shyly, fidgeting with a ring on her finger.

"Want to tell me what was so complicated earlier on the way to dinner?" he asked, watching her every move. He had a niche for people watching, being able to tell things about their emotions, and decoding body language.

Temperance hugged her knees closer to her chest and took a deep breath, looking out at the river then back to Booth. "I've, uh…I've been in the foster-care system since I was fifteen. And it's complicated because…" she took a deep breath, "I've been in nine homes in two years."

Booth's eyes pinched together, as he didn't understand fully what she was implying. "The past few homes I've been in," she continued, "I fully expected to move again within a month or two, so I just kept everybody shut out of my life. I was tired of making friends only to be ripped away from them when my foster-parents got tired of me."

"_Nine_ places in two years?" Booth asked, cringing. He had only moved from his dad's house to his grandpa's house, and that was enough moving for him.

Temperance nodded, allowing her legs to fall into the Indian-style position. She kept her hands in her lap, semi-hunched over as she avoided eye contact with Booth. "People don't want teenagers when they're thinking about adopting a kid," she spoke like it was just a fact of life. "And apparently I'm too difficult to deal with for more than three months at a time."

"I don't know about that," he told her, reaching over and gently pulling her chin to face him. Smiling, his thumb brushed over her cheek as she looked into his brown eyes. "Some people just don't know how to handle a challenge."

"The way I see it is I only have another year and then I can be on my own," the corners of her lips slightly curved upwards. She had been dreaming for two years about either finding her parents or being on her own. She was so tired of being shipped here and there.

With a grin, Booth began to move himself to the middle of the blanket. "Come on," he told her as he laid back. As he put one hand behind his head, his eyes traced the stars that decorated the black sky.

Slightly hesitating, Temperance followed his lead and laid down on the blanket. With only a few inches separating them, she turned her head to face him. "What about you? Why do you live with your grandpa?"

"Ah…I knew that was going to come up," Booth answered with a chuckle, still looking at the stars. "Let's just say my dad knocked me around one time too many. The night Pops found out, he came and got us. My brother and I have lived with him ever since." Temperance was unsure of how to respond.

"Why are you in the foster-care system?" he asked, his voice soft and kind.

He saw her swallow hard as her chest rose with a deep breath. "My, uh…my parents went out to run some errands two years ago and they never came home." Booth heard the catch in her voice. "My brother tried to take care of me," she paused, "But I was too difficult."

Booth moved his free hand from lying on his stomach to the empty space between them. His fingers slid towards her, centimeter by centimeter, until he felt his heart drop as his pinky touched hers. Temperance felt the spark and a new swarm of butterflies as she slowly stretched her nimble fingers until they were gently enclosed in Booth's strong hand. A silent sigh of relief crossed both of them as their hearts both raced.

Turning his head towards her, he smiled as he saw her already looking at him. His eyes wandered around her pale face and saw her eyes full of tears. "You can trust me, Temperance…" he offered as a piece of comfort.

"That's what I'm afraid of," she whispered back, closing her eyes as a tear ran down her cheek.

Rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb, he took his other hand and wiped the tear from her cheek. "I'll prove it to you," he promised.

Opening her slate-blue eyes, she smirked with a sniffle. "How are you going to do that?"

"Any way that you need me to prove it…hell, I'll run through the school in a pink tutu and a football helmet on," his voice was serious as a smile formed on his face.

Temperance let out a small laugh. "Well, maybe you don't have to go _that_ far."

He lifted his hand to her cheek again. "Whatever I gotta do to keep you smiling, Tempe…" he whispered, running his thumb across her skin.

Looking back up at the sky, she took her free hand and pointed towards the sky. "See that kind of triangle looking figure?"

Booth turned his head back towards the sky. "Yeah," he replied. "What is it?"

"That's the constellation Capricornus." Shifting her head around a bit, she moved her finger to another area in the sky. "Do you know what that one is?"

"Yeah, of course I know that one!" Booth chuckled. "It's the Big Dipper. I paid attention occasionally in astronomy," he told her with a wink.

As she was looking for another constellation to point out to Booth, Temperance's phone rang. "Crap," she groaned as she sat up. Pulling it out of her purse, she saw it was her foster-father. "Give me a second," she told Booth as she stood up and walked a few feet away.

"Hello?" she answered, scared of what was about to happen.

"Where the hell are you?" he yelled at her. She nervously glanced down at her watch, noticing she still had two hours before she had to be home.

"I'm out with a friend…Maggie said I could go…" she tried to defend herself.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" he yelled loud enough that Booth could nearly make out the words from a few feet away. "It's 10 o'clock!" he responded to his own question. "You have half an hour to get your little ass back to this house!"

A tear ran down her cheek as he hung up on her. She quietly closed her phone, wiped her face, and turned around. "Hey, uh…I need to get home," she told him, reaching down for her purse. Without questioning anything, Booth stood up, grabbed the blanket, and reached out his hand for hers.

With her head bowed, Temperance placed her shaking hand in his and followed him back to the SUV without a word spoken. Once inside the vehicle, she buckled her seatbelt. "And if you don't mind, could you…um…hurry? The quicker I get home the less trouble I'll be in."

"No problem," he told her with a smile, placing a hand on hers as he began to drive. "Mind if I ask a question?"

"Sure," her answer was quick. She was trying to not think about what was going to happen when she got home.

"I thought Maggie said you could stay out until midnight," he wondered.

"Doesn't matter," she replied. "Jeremy said to be home in thirty minutes, so that's what has to happen." A minute of silence passed as thousands of questions ran through Booth's head. "I'm sorry," her voice sounded weak as she looked down at her hands.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he told her, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand. Easing into the driveway, Booth parked his SUV. "I'll see you Monday?" he asked as she opened the door.

"I hope so," she replied. Booth took this to mean she wanted to see him again, which she did. Temperance, however, meant it as she hoped she would be able to attend school on Monday. She knew what was coming for her as soon as she closed the SUV door.

With his eyes pinched together, Booth sighed. "Bye…" he called out. Temperance didn't turn around as she threw a hand in the air to wave at him.

As she reached for the doorknob, her entire body began to shake. _Here goes nothing_, she thought and pushed the door open.


	5. Screw You

****LOOOVE the reviews! They make me so happy! **

**This chapter takes place right after Booth and Brennan's date, along with the following Monday. Booth has some things to say, but Brennan throws in her two cents at the end. It's kind of a toss up as to what happens next. I'd love some ideas when yall review :) I have a couple of miniature scenes playing around in my head, but nothing definitive. **

**Hope everybody is having a looovely week! :D**

**Don't own them!**

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><p>Creeping into the house, Temperance cringed as the door creaked before it shut all the way. She made it one…two…three steps. <em>Whew<em>, she thought, _Only two more to the stairs and –_…

"TEMPERANCE!" she heard her foster-father loudly slur. Her stomach tied itself in several knots before she could even turn herself around to see Jeremy slouched over in a chair in the den. "Get in here!"

Bowing her head as she walked, Temperance stopped an inch outside of the den doorway. She decided that being silent was probably best this time. The last time she tried to verbally defend herself, she ended up with a busted lip. "What were you thinking?" he asked.

Hearing the clinking of ice in his glass, Temperance looked up long enough to confirm that he was, in fact, drunk. "Why the hell would you think you could go out with some guy without my permission?" Actually, he was probably way past "drunk." Her stomach did a flip as he slowly climbed out of his recliner and began his journey to where she was standing.

He reached up a hand to her face, making her flinch as her eyes squeezed shut. She knew that it hurt less if you didn't know it was coming. After a moment of not being struck, Temperance's eyes squinted open as her whole body attempted to relax a bit. Without warning, his open hand made contact with her cheek.

Flinching again as her head turned with his slap, her heart stopped. "Are you going to answer me?" he yelled in her face, slapping her again. "You little slut!" he spat, elbowing her in the side. Temperance hunched over with a gasp, trying to catch her breath again.

"Please…" she gasped again, "Please stop…" Gently placing her hand over rib cage where he already hit her, Temperance felt tears falling down her face.

Chuckling, Jeremy lifted his hand and back-handed her other cheek with a grunt followed by a chuckle. "Go to your room," he huffed, giving her one last push. Temperance landed across a mid-sized table in the entry way, her already-hurt side hitting the edge of it. As she gripped onto it, she felt a crack inside her.

With tears streaming down her cheeks harder than ever before, she slowly picked herself up, clutching her side, and began the long trek to her bedroom. With every step, her side seemed to rip more and more, until she reached the next to last stair. She tripped over her own feet and crumbled onto the top of the stairs.

Letting out a yelp, she quickly covered her mouth with her free hand and picked herself up. As she got to her bedroom and shut the door, she pulled her hand away from her face to reveal it covered in tears and blood. Cringing as she moved her other hand off her side, she slid her shirt up. A massive bruise was already forming over the left side of her ribcage, along with severe tenderness.

She definitely didn't have a medical degree but she knew she had a broken rib or two. As the tears continued to flow down her cheeks, she carefully peeled the shirt and tank top off of herself, flinching every time her side moved.

She pulled a sleep shirt out of her drawer and slid it over her head, gritting her teeth the entire time. As she finished changing from her jeans to her pajama pants, she eased herself over to her dresser and slowly looked into the mirror.

Temperance didn't know who she was looking at anymore. Two years ago, she was the happiest teenage girl in the entire world. She had parents that loved her, a brother that adored her, she was the best in school…nothing could've gotten any better.

Now, she stared into the cold, teary eyes of her new self. Her cheeks were red and bruising, her lip was split open from Jeremy's wedding ring, her parents and brother were all gone, and she had no one.

Carefully holding her hand to her side, Temperance silently opened her bedroom door and crossed the small hallway to enter the bathroom. She shut the door and locked it. As she heard the lock click, a small sigh of relief came over her. She was safe, if only for just a minute. After gently washing the blood from her face, she rinsed the rag with cold water and squeezed all the extra water that she could from it before making the very long journey back across the hall.

Once she had secured herself inside her room as best she could…which included a small table being pushed in front of her door…Temperance climbed into the bed, cringing the entire time she was moving. She flattened the cool rag against her ribcage and pulled her dear friend Rupert to her chest with her free hand.

That night, Temperance Daesee Brennan cried herself to sleep as her loyal bear of 17 years watched over her. He may not have been much, but for her, he was enough.

* * *

><p>Monday morning eventually rolled around. Temperance had avoided coming out of her bedroom as much as she could all weekend. The few times that she did come out were only to get a sandwich or to take a very quick shower.<p>

That morning, she had strategically used make-up to cover as much of the bruising on her face as she possibly could. But no matter how much foundation and power she used, a deep blue blotch directly beside her eye refused to be covered up. Temperance's solution to this was to wear sunglasses as long as she possibly could, then just keep that side of her face away from people.

Pulling into the parking lot that morning, her heart crumbled as she saw Booth standing in her parking spot waiting for her. Her stomach tied itself in more knots as she winced while turning the steering wheel. Her ribcage had a gigantic bruise on it, nearly the length of a football and four or five inches in width. She had kept herself on over the counter pain killers all weekend and planned on continuing her treatment until her side no longer hurt.

As she put the SUV into park, she closed her eyes and slowly inhaled. Booth opened her door, greeting her with a giant smile. "Hey you," he told her, holding his hand out to help her out of the vehicle. Trying as hard as possible to not seem rude, she eased herself out of the vehicle without his help. A small grimace slipped out as she landed on the ground.

"Hi," she whispered, faking a smile.

"How was the rest of your weekend?" he asked as she pulled her backpack out of the backseat and slid it onto one shoulder, her hand still covering her side.

"Uh," she stuttered, "It was good," she lied. She flinched as Booth reached up to close the back door of the SUV.

Noticing this, Booth's eyes narrowed. "You sure about that?"

"Mhmm," she mumbled, beginning to walk to her first class.

"Hey! Wait up!" Booth called out. As he caught up with her, he slid his arm around his side. As his fingers barely grazed her injury, Temperance jerked away as she winced and as her eyes filled with tears. "Hey, wait a second…" he told her, pulling her back over to between her vehicle and the one beside it. "What's going on?" His chocolate eyes searched for answers in her face.

"Nothing, Booth," she groaned. "Just let me go to class." Attempting to walk away again, he caught her wrist and pulled her back to him.

Carefully pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head, Booth's jaw dropped as he noticed the dark spot beside her eye. "Temperance…" he groaned. "Dammit! Why didn't you tell me he'd do this to you?" As Booth ran his thumb gently over the top of the bruise, a tear finally fell down her cheek and her jaw stiffened. "That's not the only spot, is it?" he asked, surveying her watery eyes for any kind of answer they would tell him.

Reaching down, he attempted to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her into him, only to be stopped by her gasping and pushing him away. He saw her clutch her side as her eyes squeezed shut. His jaw tight, he reached down and began to pull at the bottom of her shirt. "No," she instructed firmly, pushing his hand away as best she could.

"Temperance," he sighed. "Let me see…"

"No," she told him again, this time with more of a whiney sound as tears began to flood down her cheeks. She quit pushing against his hand and let him lift the hem of her shirt to show her torso.

"Oh my God," he groaned. His eyes traced around the blue, black, and purple figure and the way her ribs were pressing against her skin. "They're broken, Temperance. You need to go to the hospital…" he told her.

"No, no, no," she protested, pushing her shirt down and backing away from him. "I have been through a lot worse," she argued, mainly to herself. "I am _not_ going to the hospital."

Booth caught both of her hands and pulled her to him. He gently pulled her into his chest and lightly wrapped his arms around her shoulders as she sobbed into his chest. Her arms carefully pulled up between them, Temperance's whole body shook as Booth eased a hand up and down her back. Booth watched people go past with strange looks on their faces, but they knew not to say a word. Booth had the intimidating factor working for him.

The first bell rang and once her breathing had evened out a bit, Booth rested his chin on the top of her head. "Temperance," he whispered. Shyly looking up with her clear blue eyes, he knew she was only looking for comfort, not advice. However, his own morals wouldn't allow him to just stand by and watch this disaster. "You need to go to the hospital," he told her more firmly.

Shaking her head, she took a step back and wiped her face. "I can't, you don't understand," she reasoned.

"He didn't give you permission to hang out with a friend Friday night so he beat the living shit out of you for it. Now you have a bruised up face, a busted lip, and some broken ribs. What am I not understanding, here?" he asked her bluntly.

With her head lowered, she felt her heart drop to her stomach. "I can't go to the hospital," she started, "Because I don't have any money. If I go, I'd have to ask him for money. If I ask him to pay the bill, he'll assume I went and told, and when I get home, it's only going to be twenty times worse than Friday night." Squeezing her eyes shut and opening them again, she took a deep breath. "I'm serious, Seeley. I've been through worse than this. I don't need to go to the hospital."

Most people would've just dropped the subject there and moved on. Not Seeley Joseph Booth. Shaking his head, he took her hand in his. "So what are you going to do? Just continue to get beat the hell up and saying 'oh, I've had worse' to everybody? How long has he done this? How many bruises has he put on you?" he quietly yelled, his jaw still stiff.

Tears filled her eyes again. "He won't do it as long as I follow his rules," she whispered, shyly looking up at him as her hand took its place back over her ribs.

"Tempe, you can't keep doing this," he told her.

"Why do you care so fucking much, Booth?" she yelled, her teeth clenched together. "You've known me a total of almost five days! How come you get to be the boss of what goes on in my life from now on? Screw you!" Jerking her backpack back onto her shoulder, she spun around and walked into the school.

Leaving Booth standing by her vehicle, Temperance never looked back. With a deep breath, Booth ran a hand through his own hair, and then let it fall back to his side. He knew she was scared. But he also knew he had to do something.


	6. My Old Detective Skills

****So...it's official...ONLY A WEEK UNTIL THE NEW SEASON STARTS! OMG! I'm so excited! Yall don't even know...I'm not the squealing type (very often), but all of the previews I've seen have made me squeal like a little school girl! :D :D :D :D**

**Well, I think this chapter is one of my favorites so far. It gave time for reflection on Booth's part and time for admittance on Brennan's part. However, a couple of other people will be coming into play in the next chapter! :) I'll be sure to start working as soon as I can ;)**

**Don't own them...*sigh*...**

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><p>Sitting in class, Temperance was completely miserable. Not only did her side hurt, she knew she had majorly offended Booth. She wasn't big on the whole "people skills" thing, but she picked up on how bad the situation actually was as he spent the classes that they had together sitting on the other side of the room. Temperance watched as he chewed on the end of his pen, a desperate look in his chocolate eyes. Why did he care so much? Hell, why did <em>she<em> care so much?

It took all Booth had to control the urge to get up and drag Temperance out of class and to the hospital. He knew she was terrified, as she should be. But he didn't understand why she didn't want to get out of that situation.

The bell finally rang to go to lunch. Temperance allowed Booth to leave the room before she even began to pack her things into her backpack. Once she had, she wearily walked to the cafeteria. Spotting Booth sitting with his football friends at their new table, she looked away as soon as his eyes found her.

His stomach did flips as he watched her go through the lunch line. He watched as she carefully kept her hand on her side as she one-handedly picked up a tray and placed food on it. After trying to get his attention for the past couple minutes, one of Booth's friends eventually punched him in the arm. "Dammit! What was that for?" Booth snapped.

"We've been trying to get your attention for the past couple of minutes, Booth! Don't tell me you didn't hear us…" the other guy replied.

Shaking his head, Booth's jaw clenched tight. "What'd you want?"

"We were wanting to know if you were going out with us Friday after the game," another guy offered.

"Uh," he stammered, pretending to be interested in the food that was on his plate. "Probably not this week, guys," he told them, glancing back up long enough to see Temperance sit down at a table across the cafeteria.

"Oh, come on, Booth!" one of the guys groaned. "And why are you watching that girl? Was she that great in bed?"

The guy chuckled until Booth quickly got out of his chair and grabbed the significantly smaller guy by his shirt. "What did you say?" Booth demanded an answer through clenched teeth, his eyes dark and narrowed.

"I, I, I…I'm sorry, man!" the other guy stuttered, holding his hands up as a peace offering.

"That's what I fucking thought," Booth spat back at him, dropped him, and then stormed out of the cafeteria. Going by his locker, he snatched his backpack out of it, threw it on his shoulder, and headed towards his vehicle.

Once inside, he took a deep breath as he noticed his death grip on the steering wheel. He knew who he needed to talk to. He also knew that person would have all the answers to his questions.

* * *

><p>Using his key, Booth unlocked the side door of the house and quietly walked in. He shut the door and sat his bag on the floor. "Seeley?" he heard from the den.<p>

Booth walked down the steps that lead into the den and sighed as he propped himself against the doorway. "Hey, Pop," he greeted gloomily.

"What are you doing home?" Pop curiously asked. Seeley knew he wasn't mad, he just had the same people-reading skills as his grandson and _knew_ something was going on.

Lowering his head as he ran a hand through his messy hair, Booth let out a deep breath. He didn't even know where to begin. After a few moments of silence, his grandpa got out of his chair, patting his grandson on the arm as he walked by. "Come on, you can help me get dinner started. It has to cook for a while," Pop told him.

Booth followed his grandpa back to their kitchen. He sat on a barstool at the island in the middle as Pop began to pull things out of the refrigerator. "You're gonna make me use my old detective skills, aren't you?" Pop chuckled as he placed a bowl and some vegetables in front of Seeley. The kid still didn't crack a smile.

"Chop," his grandpa instructed, handing Booth a knife. "My first gut feeling is that this is over a girl, am I right?" Pop asked.

Booth nodded as he began to cut.

"This girl…for her to have you this worked up, you must care about her." Pop's words cut through Seeley's heart as he nodded and chewed on the inside of his cheek. "My next guess is that she's not letting you protect her like you think she needs."

Looking up in shock, Booth forgot that he was slicing vegetables and cut his own finger. "Crap," he groaned, moving to the sink. He stuck his finger under cold water to wash the blood away as Pop looked over his shoulder.

"I'll take that as a yes to my last question," Pop smirked. He may have been old, but he still had it.

"It's not just that, Pop," Booth sighed, turning the water off and reaching for a paper towel. Wrapping it around his finger, he returned to his seat at the island.

"Then what is it, Shrimp?" Pop asked.

"She's the girl I went out with Friday night. Her foster-mom said she could stay out till midnight, but about ten o'clock, her foster-father called saying she had to come home. When she got to school this morning…" Booth stopped. His heart was racing and his stomach was doing flips as he began to really think about it again. "When she got to school this morning, her face was all bruised and she had some broken ribs with a nasty bruise on her ribcage."

Pop's eyes narrowed. "And the foster-father did that," he concluded, more to himself than to Seeley.

Booth nodded. "I nearly _begged_ her to go to the hospital. She kept telling me she wouldn't go and that she's been through 'a lot worse' so she could handle it." A silence filled the air as he looked down and saw his finger was no longer bleeding. Picking the knife back up, he resumed his duties, hoping it would take his mind off of her.

"I know you don't want to hear it, Shrimp, but you can't save people every time you think they may need it. Obviously you care about this girl, right?" Booth nodded. "Sometimes that just means standing by until they realize that they need you."

"But I can't just sit here and let him keep beating the hell out of her!" Booth argued, tossing some of the chopped carrots into another bowl.

"Trust me on this on, Seeley. Just let her know you're there. And if it happens again, we'll figure out a way to fix it." Pop turned the stove on after he sat a pot of water on top of it. "And with her being in foster-care, trust is most definitely a huge underlying issue for her."

Nodding again, Booth's heart sank. _If_ it happens again… Those few words made him want to kill the bastard, right then and there.

* * *

><p>Booth returned to school as the last bell of the day rang so he could go to football practice. They were going to have their first game of the season Friday night, and hell…after the day he had, he just needed to hit some people.<p>

Once practice was over, he retreated to the field-house with his teammates and got cleaned up. He took a quick, cold shower and gathered his things up. Walking out to his vehicle after he was done, Booth saw someone sitting on the parking bumper in front of his SUV. The small frame of the person made his heart skip a beat.

He was still sore from their last conversation, but he wasn't going to let that make him a complete jerk. "What are you doing?" he asked, his eyes narrowed as he walked up behind her.

Jumping, Temperance stood up and faced him as he took a couple steps past her. "I, uh…you weren't in class after lunch," she reminded him, tucking a curl behind her ear. "I was wondering if something was wrong with you."

"Everything's fine," he told her, his voice colder than usual. He threw his stuff in the back of the SUV and began to walk to the driver's side.

"Booth, wait…" she asked, following him to the driver's door. Her blue eyes traced his whole body from the ground up, eventually landing on his brown ones. "I'm sorry," she spoke softly, tugging at the sleeves on her jacket.

_Handle with care, if not, you'll lose it forever_, he recited in his head. He knew that he had no choice but to give in if he wanted to keep her. Wanting to stand his ground and make a point, the clear blue eyes staring at him quickly changed those plans for him. "It's okay…" he whispered, carefully pulling her to him.

He put his arms around her shoulders and sighed as her arms wrapped around his waist. "I need to explain this to you," she told him, backing up a step or two.

Shaking his head, Booth pulled her back to him. "You don't have to explain anything. You were right. I've only known you 5 days, who am I to tell you what to do?"

"Not that," she told him, backing away again. "I want to explain to you why I won't go to the hospital." Booth leaned back against his SUV and surveyed her face as she began to talk. "If I go to the hospital, it's a law that since I'm in foster-care, no matter what I tell them that happened, they have to send social workers to investigate the incident. And as much as I hate them, social workers are generally pretty smart. So, even if I told them I fell down some stairs or fell off a bike, they'd _know_ I was lying."

"And if they investigate, he'll think you told someone," Booth finished with a nod and wide eyes. She already told him that, why was she explaining it again?

Brennan shook her head. "Not just that. The social workers will _know_ I was lying and they'll put me in another half-ass, wretched group home with 30 kids and 15 beds. And I _cannot_ go back to that again, Booth," she told him. Her eyes were the clearest blue he had ever seen them. "I have to ride this out for the next year so I can avoid being moved to another house with shitty foster-parents."

"How do you know they'll be shitty?" he asked.

Closing her eyes and reopening them, Temperance shook her head. "Seeley, I've been in nine homes in two years. Each and every time a social worker shows up, I have had ten minutes to throw my stuff in a trash bag and get in their car so they could drive me over to another overcrowded group home or another foster-home. Do you know what that's like? Having to shove all of your belongings into a trash bag? Do you know what it's like to not have anybody in your life that wants you?"

His heart broke as he watched a tear fall her face. Reaching out for her hands, he sighed. "That's not true," he whispered as he reached and cupped her cheek. "I want you," he softly admitted, staring into her teary eyes. "I know it's absolutely crazy that we've only known each other 5 days and we're standing here like we've been together for 5 years," his eyes pierced hers, "And I can't explain it at all…trust me, I've tried…but I want you. I want every part of you," he promised as more tears slid down her flushed cheeks.

"I doubt that," she spoke softly, not actually meaning to say it out loud.

"Am I going to have to get the tutu out to prove it?" he asked, straight faced. A grin slipped across her face as she lightly laughed, wiping at the wetness on her face. "There's that smile," he smirked as he pulled her to him, her not fighting it this time.

After standing there in silence for a short time, Booth pulled back and looked down at her. "You have to promise me something," he informed her.

With a raised eyebrow, Temperance cocked her head to the side. "What exactly do I _have_ to promise you, Seeley Booth?"

"You, Temperance Brennan," he told her, pointing a finger at her chest, "Have to tell me if he does this again. Can you do that?"

With a nod, she grinned. "He's out of town until next Monday," she informed him.

A giant load of stress was lifted off of his shoulders and he let out an accidental "Thank God…"

Temperance smiled and fell back into his chest. "This is the craziest thing," she whispered.

"What is?"

"I have known you less than a week and I already feel more secure than I have in two years," she admitted, shyly looking up towards his face.

Knowing that admitting things like that weren't easy for her, Booth smiled and kissed the top of her head. "In that case, mind if I take you out Friday night after the game?"

"I'd like that," she replied, her blue eyes were big as she smiled up at him. "Is my presence required at this game?" She had never been big on sports. She understood the methods of them, just not the interest.

Chuckling, Booth smiled. "No, but I'd like you to be there," he urged.

Temperance looked up as she bit her bottom lip. "I suppose I can make an appearance. You know, so the whole one person I know sees me supporting the football team."

"I'll introduce you to some people tomorrow, that way you'll have someone to sit with at the game. How's that?" he asked, rubbing her back.

"Um…sure," she complied. "Works for me."

Temperance Brennan was happier in that moment than she had been in two years. And it was the damnedest thing she had ever experienced.


	7. She Looks Fragile

****Well, after a short MIA vacation...and by that, I mean being swamped by work...I'm back for now! This chapter is post-fight and pre-football game. Oh, and Angela goes crazy on Temperance with clothes, curling irons, and make-up :) Review, please please please! **

**Don't own them, sadly.****

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><p>"Where are you taking me after the game Friday?" Temperance asked, walking hand-in-hand with Booth through the crowded hallway. It was funny…nobody seemed to run into her when he was by her side.<p>

"It's a surprise," he told her with a wink.

As her eyes narrowed as she looked up at him. "I hate surprises."

Booth smirked as he pulled the classroom door open for her. "Don't knock it before you try it, Tempe," he chuckled.

"Why would I knock whatever it is?" she asked, more confused than before. What did knocking have to do with anything in this conversation?

Letting her pass through the door first, Booth's hand softly pressed against the small of her back as he guided her to their lab-station. "Too literal," he reminded her as he sat on the stool. He had noticed over the past few days that she had a tendency to take things a bit too seriously, which could only lead to severe confusion when she was with him.

"Where's your book?" she asked, placing hers gently on the desktop.

"I don't need a book," he informed her.

"Well that probably explains why you're taking this class for the second time," she told him bluntly as she hid a grin. This was her second time to take Anatomy, but it was by choice. Booth, on the other hand, not so much by choice.

"That's why I have you!" he grinned, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her towards him.

Temperance looked up at him with a cocked eyebrow. "I'm not doing your work for you," she informed him, crossing her arms in front of her chest and leaning back onto her stool.

"I don't expect you to," he assured her. "I do believe you'll make an excellent study partner, though."

"Are you volunteering me for things I haven't agreed to?" she asked with a chuckle, her blue eyes wide.

"I would never do that!" he smirked his Booth-y grin. "Oh, hey!" he began changing the subject, "Ange!" he called out.

A beautiful girl at the table in front of them turned around, her eyes similar to the color of Booth's. "What's up, sexy?" she asked, a mischievous smile on her face.

Booth turned and saw Temperance skimming over the day's anatomy lesson. "Temperance Brennan, this is Angela Montenegro," he introduced them as Temperance looked up.

"She's cute, Seeley," Angela spoke openly as Temperance's cheeks flushed.

"Hi," Temperance spoke softly.

"I was thinking we could all hang out today after school," Booth invited, "Maybe go get some pizza or something."

"Sounds good," Angela replied, her eyes narrowing as Temperance went back to looking at the anatomy pages. "I'll bring Jake," she told Booth as the final bell rang. "And of course, my lab partner isn't here today."

Smirking, Booth, and the rest of the class, looked over as another nerdy kid stumbled through the door. "I'm here!" the kid yelled out before the bell stopped ringing.

"Scratch that," Angela sighed, placing her head in her hands as she turned back around towards the front of the class.

"You okay with going to get pizza after school?" Booth asked in a whisper.

Temperance's eyes narrowed. "Yes. Now hush so you can learn," she instructed and nodded her head towards the halfway bald man at the front of the classroom.

"But that's no fun," he whined, propping his chin up with his hand.

"Mr. Booth!" the teacher snapped. "Since you're talking, I assume you already know the bones in the arm," the man spoke loudly.

"Uh," Booth stuttered, attempting to slide Temperance's book in front of him.

"Radius, ulna, and humerus," she whispered, pulling the book back to her.

"Radius, ulna, and humerus," he repeated, looking back up at the teacher.

With a smirk, the teacher shook his head. "I'm impressed. Miss Brennan is proving to be a smart choice for your lab partner."

"He's correct," she whispered with a smirk. "I am the most competent student in the class in this subject," she told him matter-of-factly.

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, Booth chuckled. "Lucky me," he replied. Temperance sensed sarcasm, but decided not to respond to it. Instead, she slipped her hand under the lab table until she found his. As he turned around with a grin on his face, she put a finger to her lips, shushed him, and pointed at the board.

* * *

><p>That afternoon, Booth had driven Temperance to a local pizzeria that had the absolute best pizza in the entire state. Guiding her to an empty table, Booth pulled out a chair for her and sat down in the next seat. "Thanks," she replied with a smile.<p>

"You okay?" he asked, putting his arm on the back of her chair. "You've been kind of quiet this afternoon."

Biting her bottom lip, Temperance shrugged. "Were you and that Angela girl ever…you know…a thing?" she asked. She hated to pry, but for some reason, that had been irking her all afternoon.

Booth let out a light laugh and rubbed her shoulder. "No," he answered her, "We've just known each other since elementary school." Temperance's mouth formed an "oh" shape as Booth looked up and waved. "That's not Jake…" he observed quietly.

"Hey, guys," Angela greeted with a smile as she dropped her back to the floor. "I'm not sure if you remember him, but this is Jack Hodgins," she introduced the nerdy-looking guy behind her.

Attempting to hold back a chuckle, Booth reached out a hand. "Yeah, you're Ange's lab partner, right?" he asked as Jack shook his hand. Booth wasn't meaning to make fun of the poor kid, he just knew that this guy wasn't Angela's usual "type."

"Yep, that's me," he smiled.

"Well, I'm Booth, this is Temperance," he introduced.

"Hi," Temperance spoke up, before taking a drink of her water.

"So, Temperance," Angela spoke up, pulling a sketch pad and a pencil out of her bag, "Where are you from? I know you're new this year."

Booth's heart sank as his girlfriend looked up. Surprisingly, she just smiled politely. "Oh, from all over," Temperance replied. "I've moved around a lot."

"Oh, cool," Angela replied with a smile. "Jack just got back from some kind of…uh…science-y camp," she told Booth and Temperance as Jack chuckled.

"Science-y camp?" Booth asked as Temperance looked up from her book, suddenly interested in what was going on.

"Yeah, I went to South America this summer as an intern for a big lab here in town. We got to test soil and insects for different chemicals, species, ya know…all that awesome stuff," he grinned big.

With wide eyes, Temperance's jaw dropped. "That would have been so amazing!" she gasped, earning strange looks from Booth and Angela. "Did you actually get to work hands-on with specimen? Did you get to interact with any of the local entomologists?"

Surprised that someone actually knew what the hell he was talking about, Jack nodded. "Yeah! It was the best thing I have ever done. At first…" he went into a rant as he drug Temperance in deeper and deeper.

Booth looked over at Angela. Sharing a confused look, they both laughed. "Of course we get the science nerds," she told him, looking back down at her paper.

"I think mine may come in more use than yours," he joked. "She's more into bones than dirt and bugs."

Angela glanced over at Temperance and smiled. "She's cute, Seeley," she told him again.

"I know," he semi-bragged, also looking over at her.

"She looks fragile, though," Angela noted. "Like she's been through some tough shit."

"You could say that," Booth replied, attempting to clear a spot on the table for the pizza that the waitress had just brought them. "Do you think, uh," Booth began, "Do you think you could kind of help me out a little with showing her around some?" he asked quietly.

"No problem, handsome," she replied, diving into the steaming pie in front of them.

* * *

><p>Friday eventually came around, which sent the whole school into a whirlwind of orange, black, and tiger-images on everything. The football team and cheerleaders all had to wear their uniforms, including Booth.<p>

Stepping out of her vehicle, Temperance smirked as she saw him in his orange and black football jersey. "Well don't you look all masculine," she teased, reaching in the backseat for her backpack.

With a cocky grin, Booth looked down at his jersey and back up to her. "That means you like it, right?" he wanted to make sure.

Temperance laughed as she rolled her eyes, pulling her backpack onto her shoulders, being careful as her ribcage still hurt. As she began to walk towards the school, Booth pulled her back to him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She still wasn't used to the whole I'm-going-to-hug-you-all-the-time thing that Booth had going on. However, she was okay with it.

"Will you be there tonight?" he asked, his chin resting on her head. He inhaled her scent one last time before she stepped back from him.

"I've already told you I would be," she reminded him with another eye-roll. "If I say I'm going to do something, I do it." Booth didn't know how literal and true this was.

As a grin formed across his face, he took her hand and led her into the school. "After seventh period, all the players have to go to the field-house and stay there until the game, so I won't be able to hang out between then and the game," he told her.

Looking up at him, Temperance poked her bottom lip out and batted her eyes excessively. Booth laughed and shook his head. "I know that upsets you terribly and all…" he knew she was mocking him.

"It's just three hours. You'll be fine without me," she assured him, not really understanding the importance of him getting to see her all the time, but she went with it.

"But I'll see you after the game," he told her, but it came out more as a question than a statement.

"Yes. I will be with Angela from the time the last bell rings to when I leave with you after the game," she told him with a smile as he opened the door to her first class.

Smiling back, Booth hugged her with one arm. "Have fun in English," he told her with a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah right," she mumbled, loosening herself from his grip and halfway waving at him as she walked into the room. She had another _long_ first period ahead of her.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day had gone by fairly quickly, but Temperance had definitely noticed Booth's absence from eighth period. Once the last bell of the day rang, she walked towards her locker to switch out which books she needed to take home for the weekend and which books could stay at school. "Thank <em>God<em> it's Friday," Angela huffed, leaning up against the lockers next to Temperance.

"God doesn't have anything to do with why it is Friday," Temperance replied, closing her locker. She had never really understood why people thanked this invisible god for the end of the week.

Chuckling, Angela shook her head. "It's just an expression, Temperance," she told the pale girl next to her. Standing by the amazingly-tan Angela, Temperance's skin looked more translucent than normal.

"What are we doing until the game?" Temperance asked as Angela looped an arm through hers while they walked towards the front of the school.

"We're gonna go get you ready for the game!" Angela exclaimed with excitement and a big grin.

Raising an eyebrow at her new friend, Temperance looked down at herself. "What's wrong with how I am now?" Her jeans and t-shirt left too much to the imagination for Angela's likings.

"Oh, sweetie, you have so much to learn…" Angela sighed, pulling Temperance out of the school. "Now, let's go get you all sexy for the game! Seeley will barely be able to focus on the game after I'm done with you!"

Not quite sure what that meant or what Angela was going to do with her, Temperance decided to just shut up and go with it.

Once they arrived at Angela's house, Temperance's eyes got as big as saucers. "Holy crap! You live here?" she asked Angela, noticing the size of the place. It was _massive_!

Lightly laughing, Angela jumped out of her car. "Yeah, my dad is kind of well-known. Let's go!" she pulled on Temperance's arm.

Her eyes saying wide as Angela pulled her through the giant house, Temperance couldn't even imagine living in a place like this. As she followed Angela into another room, she turned around as the door closed behind her. "Is this your room?" she asked as Angela walked to her closet.

"Yup. Now come here! We have to find clothes first."

Temperance's whole house that she lived in with her parents could've easily fit into Angela's bedroom. Walking towards the closet still in shock, she stopped as she looked inside. Hell, her whole bedroom could fit in the closet with plenty of room left over. "Earth to Temperance!" Angela called out.

Shaking herself out of the dream she must've been in, Temperance looked over to see Angela with a hand on her hip. "Sorry," she mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she joined her friend.

"Okay, let's get you in this skirt," Angela pulled a hanger off the rack, "And…." She paused, pursing her lips. "This shirt," she finished, pulling at another clothes hanger.

"I don't wear skirts," Temperance spoke up quietly, only taking the shirt from Angela.

"If you insist," Angela easily gave in, grabbing a pair of shorts.

"These are even shorter than the skirt!" Temperance argued, her eyes pinched together. Sure, she had the body to pull these things off, but she didn't have the self-confidence.

"Sweetie," Angela began her negotiating skills, "You have the legs for these! You're 17! _Use them to your advantage!"_

"Why do I need an advantage?" Temperance asked, utterly confused yet again.

With a chuckle, Angela pulled her over to a floor-length mirror. "You see your body? Your legs?"

"Of course I do." Temperance looked up and down the mirror, trying to figure out what Angela was getting at.

"Sure, Seeley likes you in whatever you wear," Angela finally brought him into the argument, "But don't you want to just floor him just once?" Unsure of what the floor had to do with anything, Temperance's eyes pinched together again. "It means make his jaw drop. Make him stop dead in his tracks, unable to move, because of the way you look."

Finally catching up to the meaning of the conversation, Temperance sighed. "What about a dress that doesn't show my ass?" she asked.

A grin spread over Angela's face as she laughed out in victory. "I have the _perfect_ dress for you!" She rummaged through the row of dresses until she came to the one in mind. "Ah ha!" she did a victory yell as she pulled the dress off the hanger and held it up. "I'll step out here. Put this on and come out to show me," Angela instructed.

Doing as she was told, Temperance slid the dress on and opened the closet door for Angela to see. Looking up to see her, Angela grinned and jumped up and down a few times as she squealed. "This is definitely the dress for you!"

Temperance stepped back, unsure of how she felt about the outfit, and looked in the mirror. Angela had picked out a dress that stopped right above Temperance's knees, but still flowed freely. With a gray tank top underneath the spaghetti straps, Temperance's eyes ran across the dark blue material. She was okay with this outfit.

Coming back out of the closet, Temperance had to endure another hour or two of hair and make-up torture from Angela. The entire time, Angela ensured her that it was all worth it. Temperance eventually lost count of how many times she was burned by the curling iron that Angela had been wielding around her head.

But looking up into the mirror after Angela had finished her beautiful creation, Temperance softly smiled. Her hair was in loose curls that definitely appeared more managed than her usual curls. Softly above her eyes was a smoky gray color that made the blue in her eyes pop out even more.

"Time to go," Angela told her, handing her a lightweight cardigan-type jacket.

"Thank you for this, Angela," Temperance spoke quietly, fidgeting with the ring on her finger.

"No problem, sweetie. What else are friends for?" she chuckled, walking out of the bedroom.

* * *

><p>Arriving at the stadium half an hour early, Temperance sent Booth a text message simply assuring him that she was there. Smiling as she felt her phone vibrate, she pulled it out of her purse.<p>

_To: Tempe_

_Meet me by the field-house. 5 minutes._

_-Booth_

"Hey, uh…Booth said to come meet him for a minute, I'll be right back," Temperance told Angela, darting off before her friend had time to object.

As she waited Temperance, watched people go by. Some stared at her like she must have been lost, and others just frankly didn't care that she was there at all. Nearly jumping out of her skin as someone touched her waist from behind, she spun around.

Moving her eyes up to his chocolate ones, she smiled. "Hey," she spoke first, her cheeks slowly becoming flushed.

"You look amazing," he eventually told her, taking her hand and surveying her body up and down, a grin smeared across his face.

"Angela tortured me for nearly three hours," Temperance chuckled as he pulled her to him, his massive football pads obstructing how close she could get.

"Booth! Get in here!" they heard. Booth turned his head and waved off his coach.

"I gotta go. But I'll see you after the game," he promised her, tucking a curl behind her ear as he smiled at her again.

"Okay," she was sad to let him go, but she knew she had to. She couldn't understand why she wanted to be so close to him all the time.

Booth leaned down, pressing his lips to her cheek as she looked down at the ground, then back up at him as he stood back up with a grin. "Bye," he spoke softly as he began to trot off back into the field-house. He kept his eyes on her until he couldn't any longer.


	8. I Have the Best Intentions

****Hey yall...despite my disappearance for a while, "the date" is finally here! I know it's kind of cliche and cheesy, but I like it. And I could totally see Booth being like this. Enjoy and review please!**

**Don't own them.****

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><p>The loud roar of a bell startled Temperance as it signaled the end of the game. Once off, she rubbed both of her temples and shook her head. "The decibels of that bell could seriously damage someone's inner ear abilities," she stated, securing her bag across her chest.<p>

Angela chuckled. "I guess I'm used to it. It goes off at the end of every game." Guiding her new friend out of the stands, Angela stopped when they were in front of the field house. "So where is Sexy taking you?"

"Sexy?" Temperance asked, fidgeting with her ring.

"Oh, that's what I call Booth. Don't you agree that it fits?" Angela's long brown curls swayed as the wind blew across the practice field that they were waiting in.

"Well, he _is_ quite appealing to the eye. His symmetrical masculine features along with his pheromones both increase my endorphins by a significant amount." Temperance's eyes narrowed as she saw the strange look that Angela was giving her.

"Sweetie, all you had to say was yes…"

"Oh," Temperance bit her bottom lip. "How long will we have to wait on _Sexy_?" She glanced down at the clock on her phone.

"Well, after the game, Coach Barnett usually talks to the guys for a few minutes. When that's over with, they all get a quick shower and then he'll be ready to roll." Angela found a small patch of grass on the mostly-dirt field and sat down.

"Why is he rolling?" Temperance asked. "Shouldn't he be driving?"

At this, Angela cracked up. "You're too dang funny, Temperance," she told her. "It just means that he'll be ready to go."

Temperance made an "oh" face as she sat next to Angela. Her heart started fluttering when she saw a couple of guys come out of the fieldhouse. She strained her neck to look and see if any of them were Booth.

"Oh, those guys aren't him, sweetie," Angela informed her. "Booth does a little more primping than the other guys," she chuckled.

"Why does he do that?"

"Well, tonight," Angela explained, "It's because he's going out with you once he's done. He has to get his hair just right. You know, typical cocky jock stuff."

Temperance's eyes pinched together as she nodded. She always assumed that guys just rolled out of bed and rushed to school. Perhaps she was wrong.

Angela watched Temperance sit nervously for a little while before she glanced over at the fieldhouse. With a grin, she told Temperance, "You know who is headed this way…"

Looking up, Temperance's eyes got wide, her heart raced, and her lips curved upward into a bashful grin. She stood up, brushed herself off, and swallowed the lump in her throat.

With a smile, Booth reached out his hand for hers as he got closer to the girls. "You ready?" he asked, finally relaxing as he felt the warmth of her small hand in his. She nodded, biting her bottom lip. "What are your plans for the night, Ange?" The group began walking towards their vehicles.

"Eh, I'll probably just go back home and watch a movie or something. I dumped Jake yesterday for being a cheating bastard," she smirked. "Let's just say his feelings aren't the only thing that hurt."

Booth cringed, knowing exactly what she meant, while Temperance remained unaware of the actual meaning behind Angela's words. "Well, why don't you grab that Hodgins kid and do something with him?" He opened the door of his SUV for Temperance and smiled as she climbed in.

"I guess I could do that…" she mumbled, digging her keys out of her car. Booth closed the passenger door with a grin.

"I'd invite you guys to go with us, but…" he explained without many words.

Angela grinned. "There's not a chance in hell that I would barge in on your date for tonight, Seeley. I know it's gonna be a good one."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, almost to the driver's side of the SUV. "What makes you say that?"

"That damn look you have smeared across your face!" she yelled, shutting her car door.

With a laugh, Booth opened the driver's side door and climbed in. He smiled over at Temperance, his brown eyes tracing her petite figure. "You look amazing," he told her, reaching over and taking her hand in his.

"You already told me that," she reminded him as his thumb stroked the back of her hand.

"And I'm pretty sure I'll be telling you again," he promised. He grinned again as he saw her cheeks redden slightly while she looked down towards her feet.

As a quick change of subject, Temperance asked, "So where are we going?"

"I already told you it's a surprise," he reminded her as he began to drive.

"And I told you that I hate surprises," she reminded him.

"I'll give you a hint," he offered. "There won't be any polka music, cats, or broccoli."

As her eyebrows pinched together, Temperance rolled her eyes. "You're impossible," she bluntly told him, earning a grin from the driver's seat.

* * *

><p>"We're here," Booth announced, putting the SUV in park.<p>

"Where is 'here'?" Temperance asked, undoing her seatbelt.

"This is where I live," he told her with a grin. "I figured that it was time to show you more of me before I asked you anymore about you."

Temperance immediately understood the meaning behind his statement. With that said, she could literally feel her body relax more than before. There was just something so sincere and honest about his words.

He helped her out of the SUV like the gentleman that he was, and then guided her inside the house. Once the lights were on, Temperance looked around at the old log-cabin-type house. It had a massive open area downstairs, it seemed the kitchen and living room were connected, and the den only separated by the three steps leading down to it. She also noticed the broad stairs that lead to a second floor.

"Well, this is it…" he held his arms out, showcasing the place as she smiled.

"I like it," she told him, looking around at the pictures on the walls and the fireplace mantle.

"And I," he told her, guiding her towards the kitchen, "Am going to cook you dinner. So have a seat," he pulled out a barstool at the kitchen island, "and watch me work." A grin spread across his face as he heard Temperance laugh.

She sat on the barstool and smiled over at Booth. "What are you gonna try to cook?" she asked, propping her chin on her hands while her elbows rested on the countertop.

"Try? _ TRY?_" he asked with wide eyes as he walked to her. Cupping her cheek, he smiled. "I don't _try_ to do anything. I actually _do_ it." He looked down into her blue eyes as they both grinned. He pressed his lips to her forehead and smiled even bigger before he stepped back towards the sink. "You up for some spaghetti?" he asked, washing his hands.

"Sounds good, Chef Booth," she mocked him with a smirk. He rolled his eyes as he pulled out a pot for the sauce. "Where are your grandpa and brother?" she asked him.

"Well, first of all, when Pop meets you, he'll insist that you call him "Pop," and not "Grandpa," he told her with a chuckle. "Second of all, Pop took Jared to see some sci-fi movie that Jared's been dying to see. He said they'd be back around ten."

"So, he trusts you here…alone with a girl?" she wondered, crossing her legs and bouncing her foot.

With a smirk, Booth shrugged. "You trust me to be alone with you, don't you?"

"Yeah…" She cocked her eyebrow. "What's that have to do with anything?"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a good guy," he informed her, matter-of-factly.

"Good guys can have bad intentions, too," she reminded him as he approached her again.

He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and smiled genuinely. "I have the best intentions of anybody you'll ever meet," he promised. "I mean, I haven't even tried to kiss you yet, have I?" he asked, getting closer to her face.

Temperance gulped as her heart jumped up in her throat. "What's stopping you?" she whispered, his lips only a couple of inches from hers. Her eyes fluttered open and shut as she noticed herself involuntarily leaning closer and closer to him, _begging_ for more.

With a grin, Booth bit his lip and leaned back. "Maybe later," he winked at her, returning to the cooking.

She wanted to let out a groan, but decided that that wouldn't be best. One of her foster-mothers had taught her to never appear frustrated or desperate. She told Temperance "The more frustrated and desperate that _you_ seem, the more _he _ gets his way."

She ran her tongue across her now-dry lips as she tried to settle her stomach and her heart back down. For now, she would just have to silently suffer.

* * *

><p>After dinner was over, Temperance walked around the bottom level of the house looking at each photograph. When she spotted a picture with Booth in it, she would stare longer at that picture than the ones before or after it; she tried to figure out his life. She saw a picture of him when he was probably seven or eight in a hockey uniform with a grin smeared across his face. There were a couple of pictures of him with other girls, like the pictures that are taken at dances and proms. The smile that she had fallen for wasn't in those pictures. At this, she wrinkled her eyebrows and moved on to the next picture.<p>

"Having fun?" Booth asked, approaching her once all of the dishes were done. She had volunteered to help, but he refused to let her pitch in.

With a smile, she nodded. "How long have you lived here?"

"Um…I'm seventeen now…I moved here when I was nine. So eight years." His arms slipped around her shoulders as she pressed into his chest.

"I miss my home," she confided in him, letting out a sigh against him. He ran a hand across her back as he inhaled the scent of her hair. "But I'll find out what happened one day. I'll figure it out," she vowed, more to herself than him.

Raising his head up from resting on top of hers, Booth parted from her. "Pop and Jared are home," he told her, taking her hand and smiling at her.

"What? How do you know?" She didn't hear anything to make one even assume that someone was home.

"I heard the gravel of the driveway. Nobody else comes way out here," he assured her, putting his arm around her shoulder and smiling at her. "Oh…and a warning…" he swallowed hard, "He calls me Shrimp."

With a smirk, Temperance twisted her body to look up at his face. "Why does he call you Shrimp?"

"Let's just say, until I hit my growth spurt a couple years ago, I was rather small," he admitted with a rosy color crossing his cheeks.

"I never would've guessed that," she told him with a grin, reaching up and placing her hand on the side of his face.

With that being said, a younger version of Booth sprinted through the door, jumping around. "That was the greatest movie EVER!" the kid yelled, not being able to contain himself. Booth rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Dang kids these days," Pop mumbled, shutting the door behind himself. "Well well well!" he perked up as he turned his head and saw Temperance. "Who is this lovely young lady, Shrimp?" he asked, making his way to the couch.

"Pop, this is Temperance…Temperance, this is Pop…" Booth introduced the two.

With a smile, Temperance reached out a hand in an attempt to shake the older man's hand. He chuckled. "Nonsense. In this house, we hug," he insisted.

With a strange look, Temperance gave in to the strange man's embrace. Despite being leery of this hug, Temperance noticed the same secure feeling she felt when hugging Booth. "So, has Seeley here been showing you a good time?" Pop asked, taking a few steps over and plopping down in a big chair.

Booth guided Temperance over to the couch next to the chair and sat down. "Yes sir," she answered with a smile up towards Booth. "He's been a complete gentleman."

With a chuckle, Booth rolled his eyes. He knew she was mocking him.

"He better be a gentleman," Pop chimed in with a laugh. "I may be old but I'm still young enough to beat his butt if he doesn't act like I taught him to."

With a smirk, Temperance looked back at Booth with a raised eyebrow. "I think he could take you," she told him with a shrug.

"There's no doubt about it," he agreed, making Pop laugh. "I wouldn't even _dare_ him to try because I know he would."

"Well, Shrimp," Pop said as he got out of the chair, "I'm heading to bed. Jared's going to bed, too. Make sure and get this pretty lady home on time, huh?"

"I will, Pop," Booth assured him.

Once he was out of the room, Booth smiled down at Temperance. "So, what now?" she asked, her stomach knotting up again.

"Well, what time do you have to be home?"

"Around midnight is what Maggie told me. And I know she's already passed out from her excessive tequila obsession, but I still don't want to risk it," she told him.

With a nod and a smile, Booth never complained. He simply stared into her eyes, reading everything she wasn't verbally telling him. He reached up, running his hand through her soft hair. "It's driving me crazy that I can't figure out why you're different," he admitted.

"I'm different?" she asked. "What do you mean?" Her eyebrows pinched together.

He smiled at her confusion. "It just feels so natural with you. I haven't had to force anything to work out like I've had to in the past," he confessed.

"Yeah, that's pretty terrifying for me," Temperance told him, looking down at her hand in his.

With his free hand, Booth lifted her chin up towards him as his lips slightly curved upward. "You need to know that I'd never do anything to hurt you…in any way…even if this doesn't work out," he promised. "And I know that trusting people is hard for you, but I'm okay with that. I'm okay with going slow, and making sure _you're_ comfortable with everything that's going on, okay?"

With her heart back in her throat, she nodded with a smile. "Since my parents left, I've never had someone be so caring towards me," she told him. "Someone that _wanted_ me."

"You have me now, Tempe," he promised, slowly leaning towards her. He watched as her eyes fluttered open and shut. "And I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered only mere seconds before his lips collided with hers.

She trusted him. For once in her life, Temperance Brennan trusted someone other than herself. And somehow…somehow, she knew he wouldn't break his promise.


	9. Mushy Gushy Romantic Cheesy Kissy Stuff

****This is a shorter chapter than the past few, but I like it. Oh, and I LOVE the reviews I've gotten recently :) I'm glad I can actually write things that people want to read :) Oh, and who's ready for the new episode next week? This girl is!  
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**This chapter is post-kiss and goodbye for the night. Somewhere, I left a surprise about what's going to happen next. But it's hidden :D Gotta keep it interesting, ya know? Yall enjoy!**

**Don't own them :( ****

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><p>As she unwillingly leaned back, Temperance's eyes fluttered open. She was completely speechless as she traced his face with her steal-blue eyes. Locking onto his brown ones, she felt her heart begin to beat again.<p>

Booth let a small grin slip as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "So that's what I've been missing," he whispered as his thumb brushed against her cheek.

Without thinking, Temperance quickly leaned in again, pressing her lips back against his, pushing him back with her force. As her kisses became more and more forceful, Booth gently pushed against her arms and looked down at her as she reached for more. "Hey…" he tried to speak, only interrupted by her lips again.

"Hey, hey , hey…" he spoke again, leaning out of her reach and holding her back with a light grip on her arms. He watched as her chest rose and fell quickly as she sat back in her seat and brought a hand up to her mouth.

"I'm so sorry," she gasped, standing up with wide eyes, frantically looking around for her purse. After finding it, she grabbed it and headed for the door. By the time she was two steps outside, Booth had his hand around hers and was pulling her back to him.

"Hey…" he whispered, his eyebrows pinched together as he noticed a single tear running down her cheek. "What was all that about?" he asked, wiping it away, not letting go of her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Seeley," she repeated, crashing into his chest, her small frame fitting perfectly.

Booth could hear the quiet sobs as he held her against him and rubbed her back. After thinking quickly, he eventually came up with a plan. "Let's go for a walk, huh?" he asked, smiling down as she peeked up at him.

With a slight nod, Temperance backed away from his chest, clung to her purse, and followed Booth down a moon-lit trail. While walking, Booth continued to listen for any signs of her still crying, eventually realizing that she must've stopped the sobs.

Temperance followed behind Booth, her small hand still in his, listening to the cracks of sticks and leaves beneath their feet, along with cricket chirps and frog croaks. After walked for a few minutes, she noticed that Booth had stopped in front of her. "Where are we?" she asked quietly, unsure of her surroundings.

"Still on our property," he assured her. "Have a seat," he offered, smiling at her as he sat down on a patch of grass.

Sitting a "safe" distance away from him, Temperance wasn't sure what to do. She didn't know what exactly happened back at the house and she didn't know what was about to happen.

"Why are you way over there?" Booth asked, noticing the distance between them. He smiled over at her and moved his arm, welcoming her into his side.

"I just figured you'd want some distance," she admitted with a soft voice.

"You figured wrong," he informed her, smiling even bigger as she moved to beside him.

Instead of talking, they just sat and observed the nature around them. Temperance watched fireflies that were playing in the trees across from them, wishing so badly to turn into one so she could fly away from what had just happened. '_What was that?'_ she asked herself with a sigh. The only answer that she could logically come up with was that she had experienced a temporary out-of-body experience and something else controlled her behaviors.

After sitting in silence for a good length of time, Booth smiled as he saw Temperance fidgeting with the ring on her finger. "Hey…" he pulled her chin up towards him. "It's okay," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

"No," she argued. "No, it's not okay. I behaved foolishly and let my desires –" Her sentence was interrupted with Booth's lips pressing against hers. Everything inside of her melted as she felt his tongue part her lips.

Booth leaned back and smiled down at his beautiful girlfriend beside him. "I told you it's okay," he reminded her.

Temperance simply nodded with a sigh. "What's going to happen when Jeremy gets back home?" she asked with a shaky voice. She knew Booth would protect her, but she wasn't sure how he was going to do that.

"Well," Booth sighed, not wanting to think about the reality of Temperance's foster-father beating her. "How often is he out of town?"

"About once a month, from what I can tell," she replied as her stomach flip-flopped inside her.

"We'll be able to see each other in school," he said, trying to think of the positive things. "What are the chances of him letting you go places on the weekends with a bunch of friends?"

"If there are guys there, there's not a chance in hell," she rolled her eyes. "He always mumbles stuff about me getting knocked up and him having to '_raise another little piece of trash'_…and those are his exact words," she told Booth.

"How about we use Angela to cover for us?" he suggested, lying back on the grass and looking up at Temperance.

"I don't understand," she spoke as her eyebrows pinched together.

Booth smiled as she laid down beside him on her side. "Well…if he trusts you with girls, you can tell him that you're going to Angela's or going somewhere with Angela. But you'll really be with me."

"She'd be okay with this?" Temperance asked, still confused. "She wouldn't get anything out of it."

"Oh yeah she will," Booth chuckled as he saw the look spread across Temperance's face. "The more I get to see you outside of school, the less mushy, gushy, romantic, cheesy, kissy stuff she'll see during school. Trust me," he assured her. "Ange won't have a problem with this."

With a shrug, Temperance rolled to her back and tried to find something happy about the entire situation. She was _way_ over her head with this guy that she had known for a week, they were planning on lying to her abusive foster-dad, and…well…the whole thing with Booth just flat out scared the hell out of her.

Booth gently rolled over and hovered his upper body over hers as their eyes locked. "You have to tell me if he does _anything_ to you," he asked her in statement-form.

After taking a deep breath, Temperance nodded. She was rewarded for her submission with Booth's lips pressed against hers. With a sigh of happiness, she smirked up at him, her blue eyes lighting up in the moonlight. "Damn you and your persuasiveness!" she cursed him.

Chuckling, Booth rolled to his back and pulled Temperance into his side. "We need to get you home pretty soon," he reminded her.

"But I don't wanna…" she whined, nuzzling her nose against his chest, earning a chuckle from the body beside her.

With a kiss to the top of her head, Booth felt both himself and Temperance relax into each other. '_Handle with care, if not, you'll lose it forever,_' Booth reminded himself, knowing that he'd never intentionally hurt the beautiful girl whose head was on his chest, rising and falling with every breath he took.

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><p>Booth pulled into Temperance's driveway at 11:45 on the dot. Putting the SUV into park, he turned to look at Temperance as she smiled over at him. "Is there any chance of us doing something tomorrow?" he asked with a pout.<p>

Laughing, Temperance shook her head. "I'm going shopping with Maggie. We're going to buy new clothes, get our hair done, and have mani-pedis," she spoke in a nasally voice mocking that of her foster-mom. "Whatever that means."

"I believe they call that a 'girls' day,'" he told her, lifting his hand and brushing her rosy cheek with his thumb. "Well, Sunday, I have church and stuff with Pop and Jared. But I'll see you Monday morning," he promised.

Temperance imitated Booth and poked her bottom lip out. He grinned and shook his head. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked, leaning closer to her.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," she whispered, her breath warm against Booth's lips.

Leaning in another inch, their lips finally met, making both of their hearts flutter. With that last kiss, Temperance got out of the SUV, smiled, and shut the door. Booth watched as she climbed the stairs to her house, turning around once more before she pushed the door open. She lifted her hand for a brief moment before closing the door behind her.

Booth wasn't sure how, and despite the big part she had already played in his life, he knew that that was just the beginning of nights like those.


End file.
